Outrage mounts as Erdogan defends doctored footage against Kilicdaroglu

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan faced sharp criticism from opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu and several other prominent political figures after defending a doctored videos against Kilicdaroglu during a live broadcast. The incident has ignited a wave of outrage and accusations, highlighting the intense rivalry and growing tensions ahead of the second round of the presidential elections set for Sunday

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the joint presidential candidate of the opposition and leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), took to Twitter and firmly denounced President Erdogan as a "deceptive fabricator."

On Monday, President Erdogan reiterated his allegations that there were videos showing Kilicdaroglu with members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a designated terrorist organization, stating, "It doesn't matter if the videos are doctored."

Earlier, Erdogan had shown another doctored video at his election rally on May 8, just six days before the elections. The manipulated video depicted a senior PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) official appearing after Kilicdaroglu as if he was singing Kilicdaroglu's campaign song and clapping along.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also expressed his outrage at the situation. Imamoglu stated, "The campaign of defamation and conspiracy has backfired on them."

Taking to Twitter, Imamoglu posted, "This campaign of slander and conspiracy, which is unbecoming of a Muslim, has backfired on them. The moral compass, conscience, and insight of this nation will not tolerate manipulation, slander, or conspiracy."

Further criticism came from Canan Kaftancioglu, the Istanbul Provincial Chair of the CHP, who herself was targeted by Erdogan in the past. Sharing her own personal experience, Kaftancioglu labeled Erdogan not only as a "fabricator" but also as a "conspirator."

In 2018, Erdogan had targeted Canan Kaftancioglu, who was elected as the Istanbul Provincial Chair of the CHP, by projecting tweets allegedly posted by her and displaying a photograph of a woman throwing a stone during a protest, claiming it was Kaftancioglu. Erdogan had insisted that the photograph belonged to Kaftancioglu.